


Some Fucked-Up Romeo and Juliet

by sugakookies_with_tae



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action, But Nothing Too Bad, Crimes & Criminals, Drama, Family Issues, M/M, Violence, everyone's a little shit, if shiganshina was a city, mostly mindfuckery rather than physical stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 18:43:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13037145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugakookies_with_tae/pseuds/sugakookies_with_tae
Summary: The Shiganshina underground crime scene is run by two rival clans - the fiery, passionate Jaegers and the cold-blooded, secretive Ackermans. What with lust, betrayal, and gunshots, to live a life with them is terrifying and one bordering on death. Their hatred for each other is legendary - it is said that no Jaeger and Ackerman can be in a room together without one tearing apart the other.That is, until Eren Jaeger and Levi Ackerman meet one night at a fateful college party. Oddly attracted to one another, they find it impossible to draw their knives or fire their guns. But though they cannot tear each other apart, others are more than willing to do it for them. Soon, Eren and Levi find themselves getting tangled into a spiderweb of cruelty, deceit, and death. Lots of death.And not to speak of the looming shadow on the horizon...





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just a college party...

_Kill._

That was the one thought running through Eren Jaeger's mind as he clinked beers and exchanged small talk.

_Mission: murder._

The night was warm, and shouts of slightly intoxicated mirth rose and fell around him. The other party guests, college students like him, didn't seem to be thinking his thoughts. Well, it must be comfortable to be them, that's for sure, but at this point it would feel weird - unnatural - for him to  _not_  think of death every day.

At least this time it was death with a purpose.

He wasn't the only one here with an intent to kill. Mikasa Ackerman-Jaeger, his adoptive sister, was sitting outside with a couple of girls, trying to act interested in their smexy talk of boys, boys, and more boys. Eren knew that Mikasa was not one whit interested in a stupid boy, but appearances had to be kept up, you know?

Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched her secretly between downed glasses and forced laughs, hoping to catch her eye, get the killing over with, and leave quickly. It wasn't that the college party wasn't enjoyable in itself, but the whole "murder" element of this particular one didn't really sit well with Eren. Even though he had been born into the criminal life...  _raised_  in it... he still had a little discomfort with killing in cold blood.

Well, murder was a simple purpose, at least. He and Mikasa had been sent out to kill a certain Jen Jakki, a very annoying woman who was keeping the Jaegers from free heroin trade with the Jakkis. She was visiting Shiganshina for a week and would be at Xander Jakki's party, a perfect time and place to slip a little digoxin into her soda. It was a cool, businesslike mission, and Eren had pretty much nothing to do with its purpose. But he was young, expendable, and free on the night of June 26, so him it was.

"Hey, Jaeger, are you listening?" Xander snapped his fingers in his face. "C'mon, don't go hazy on me now. Have you had too much-"

"Nah, I'm as sober as I ever was," Eren replied, pulling himself back to reality and trying to keep his tone light. "I've only had two bottles... and you  _know_  I don't get hangovers..."

Xander heaved a dramatic sigh. "Yeah, lucky."

 _Lucky!_  Eren nearly snorted. What did an over-privileged under-grad finance student know about  _luck_? But he zipped his mouth shut and managed not to say a word. _Never blow your cover-_  he couldn't forget Criminal 101.

Xander stretched out laconically on the couch, reaching for a slice of pizza. "You know, Jaeger, there was someone that I wanted you to meet tonight, especially."

"Really?" Eren half-mumbled, not very interested.

"Yeah," Xander laughed. "He might be just as gloomy as you are all the time, I dunno. Hey, Rivaille! Over here!"

Eren turned - and startled.

He was facing a very short boy... he couldn't be more than 5'3... with raven hair in an undercut, black bangs falling into slanted, silver-gray eyes. Those eyes were like bullets - small, extremely sharp - eyes that could pierce right through skin and bone and maybe even through thoughts. Eren suddenly felt his mind fall into disarray, and in confusion he could only stutter out, "H-hi?"

"This is him, Xander?" Rivaille took Eren's outstretched hand and gave it a quick, firm shake, said gray eyes wandering rather boredly. Eren could see why Xander said "he might be just as gloomy as you are all the time," though he doubted that this guy was gloomy in the same way. But somehow, Eren thought that he wouldn't be too surprised if he was.

"Soo... who are you?" Eren asked, trying not to act as though this  _Rivaille_  person unsettled him.

"The name's Levi."

 _Levi..._  the name sounded oddly familiar, though Eren couldn't imagine how. "Well, I'm Eren Jaeger," he answered. Once, he had been self-conscious about his last name, and the way it tied him to one of the biggest crime families in Shiganshina; but those days were over now, and he realized that there was no harm in displaying it.

 _Was_  that a slight jolt in Levi's body?

Xander laughed again - another loud, pointless laugh. Really, he was way too loud, especially for hanging out with him and Levi, who, as Eren sensed, was just as quiet and reticent as he was.

"How do you know each other?" Eren tried to breach the awkward silence, searching frantically for Mikasa. "I mean, same college or-"

"No," Xander shrugged. "Rivaille's like you, Jaeger... right, dude? You're both dropouts, but other than that I  _can't_  pump him about his past. If you succeed in doing that, Jaeger, you're a born genius."

Levi shifted a little, and Eren took comfort in seeing that Levi seemed just as uncomfortable as he did.

Suddenly, Mikasa's hand was on his shoulder. "Eren?" she whispered in his ear. "Let's go."

Thankful for the interference, Eren quickly excused himself and disappeared into the heat of the party with Mikasa gripping his arm. The clock struck twelve, but that only seemed to make the music louder and the dancing wilder. By the time people noticed sweet, middle-aged Jen Jakki in the corner was dead from cardiac arrest, Eren and Mikasa would've disappeared into the night, blending in with the other early leavers perfectly.

But just before he got too far, he turned back and looked at Levi Rivaille. Just for a second.

And suddenly, he knew Levi wasn't just an ordinary college dropout.

Levi's eyes were dark with murder.

***

"Whaddya mean you didn't see me?" Mikasa yelled, half-amused and half-annoyed. "I was right in front of you, waving like a maniac!"

Eren slipped out of her tight grasp, rubbing his arm and pretending to wince. "Chill, Mika," he teased playfully. "The party isn't over for, like, another five hours. We have plenty of time."

Distantly, Eren wondered what his words might have sounded to an outsider. Maybe, "We have another five hours to hang out," or "another five hours to get drunk". But he knew, and Mikasa knew.

Together, they headed towards the corner where Jen Jakki sat, reading a thick, old book with reading glasses perched rather lopsidedly over her nose. She certainly didn't seem to be the popular type, although this may have been due to the fact that she was about fifteen years older than everyone else at the party. In the light of all the chaos and noise, she looked like a smart, bossy know-it-all, who positioned herself apart from the crowd. Perhaps that was also to hide the slight silver threading through her hair.

Mikasa made the first move, handing the woman a small box wrapped like a present, lying that it had come from Xander Jakki. What the box really held was heroin, a sort of sick joke, but Jen Jakki wouldn't live long enough to know that, of course.

Eren stood back, watching as Mikasa skillfully wove a web of light, unimportant small talk to engage the woman. She was pro at that kind of stuff - unlike Eren, who always managed to make everything awkward. Mikasa built a froth of school and Xander issues and the party and even drugs - all Eren needed to do was sink into it.

Ugh, why was Mikasa a better criminal than him in  _every_  way?

Eventually, Eren entered the conversation, which he surprisingly felt himself enjoying. Jen Jakki wasn't an uninteresting person. Quite contrarily, she was an excellent conversationalist. Almost a pity, right, that-

He froze up his feelings.  _No getting personal in murders-_  old advice came back to him.

It seemed forever, a forever of seesawing dangerously in his mind, before Mikasa said, "I'm getting thirsty, aren't you? Let's get drinks, Eren. What do you want, Ms. Jakki?"

"Oh, soda is fine."

Eren stood, turning as he did so.

He did not expect to catch Levi Rivaille's eye.

Suddenly, Eren realized that Levi had been watching him and Mikasa ever since they'd pulled away from him and Xander. And he couldn't imagine why. After all, Levi was just some friend of Xander's, right?

Although- those eyes seemed to spell more than just that.

Tossing those thoughts of uneasiness into the recesses of his mind, Eren followed Mikasa to the bar, which was relatively empty now, with most of the partygoers either drunk or outside. Eren noticed that Levi was pouring himself a glass of wine just as he and Mikasa headed for the soda counter. He simultaneously wondered what Levi was doing there and why he, himself, had noticed that.

"Earth to Eren?" Mikasa snapped her fingers in his face. "What are you staring at? Damn, you're moody tonight."

"I dunno," Eren confessed truthfully, leaning over the counter and watching as Mikasa opened a little clasp in her necklace and emptied a little powder into one of the three Cokes she had prepared. He smirked, watching the sheer poise and finesse of her motions. Eren would never be able to be so fast or so agile - he was too clumsy for that.

Everything just seemed to  _melt_  on to Mikasa. She was young, but also pretty much a genius. She learned fast, fit into everything, stood out among everyone. Even the silver necklace didn't seem weird on her, despite the fact that she barely wore jewelry and had only worn this one as a safekeeping for a lethal chemical.

Eren barely suppressed a sigh of mixed pride and jealousy. He'd never be as perfect as she was.

"Here, carry this," Mikasa handed him the poisoned glass of soda. "And don't drink it, either," she teased him, as she took the other two sodas in her hand.

Eren hadn't gone two steps when Levi Rivaille's shoulder jostled his own, causing the glass to spill out of his hand and shatter on the floor.

"Hey!"

Levi stepped back, examining the scene. One trivial broken glass - but Eren huffed in annoyance. The perfect cup of death spoiled, spilled. Mikasa would have to get another one - and if  _that_  one spilled, too, they would have to resort to Plan B - a very unpleasant one which involved knives and lots of potential for attention.

Was it any wonder he was yelling at this short man right now?

"Can't you look where you're going?" he asked, face red with anger, eyes burning. It was the famed Jaeger temper coming up in him - well, that is what he would have thought if he was capable of conscious thought, and likely that was what Levi was thinking at the time.

"Sorry," Levi retorted coldly. His pale face was a sharp contrast to Eren's, but there was not a speck of remorse or fear on it. Its expression seemed almost indifferent, as though Eren's screaming had nothing to do with him at all. "I didn't notice you."

 _That's a lie._  Eren knew it was a lie, but Levi looked as though he  _knew_  Eren knew it was a lie, and that was but a trivial matter used to deflect outsiders.

Half in light, half in shadow, Levi looked more like a lawbreaker than ever, cold and remorseless.

"Well, what did you do that for, then?" Eren glared at him, not to be put off by Levi's apathy. He noticed that Levi's wine was still in his hand, without a drop sloshed over the glass. This only served to make him angrier. "Yeah, fucking idiot? What was that for, huh?"

Levi didn't answer.

Mikasa touched him. "Eren, let's just go," she murmured. "We can't keep Jen Jakki waiting. We'll just do another one."

From the looks of Levi's face, it seemed as though he had heard every word Mikasa just spoke, although that had to be impossible - the noise was reaching its peak of the night.

Again, Eren and Mikasa made their way to the bar, poisoned a glass, and started walking back to Jen Jakki.

Again, Levi spilled it.

This time it was deliberate. Eren  _saw_  the hand come, saw it knock the soda over for the second time,  _heard_  the sigh tinged with slight irritation as the glass flew to the floor and shattered.

This time, Eren rounded upon him with full anger.

"What the  _FUCK_  do you think you're doing, Levi?" he screamed, his yells only adding to all the chaos. "THAT WAS ON PURPOSE!"

Still, Levi just looked at him with those steely, half-closed eyes. Eren had a feeling that Levi was not using the full power of those eyes - no, not even a fraction of it - and yet he still managed to look intimidating.

Eren yelled. He yelled more. All he wanted was for Levi to  _say something_ , to demonstrate some emotion.

It was a hopeless case.

Finally, Eren rounded on him, determined to get  _one_  thing out of this big mess.

"WHO ARE YOU, ANYWAY?"

It was almost a scream, a demanding scream, filled with anger and... something else... something that he couldn't quite explain. Well, one thing for sure. He hated Levi. Absolutely  _hated_  him, italics, capitals and all.

At least now Eren had some reaction besides boredom. Was that agitation in Levi's moving? It was as though he was fighting to get away, trying to break out of Eren's little tantrum. He crossed his arms, defiance in every gesture.

"I'll tell you later, brat."

The sudden appearance of words from Levi's mouth threw Eren off balance. Levi's silence was eloquent enough on its own, but his words lent a certain  _something_  to him. Eren almost didn't notice it when Levi turned his shoulder on him and began walking towards - Jen Jakki.

"The  _hell_  are you doing just standing there, Eren?" Mikasa hissed, clamping her hand on his arm. "We've wasted valuable time!"

"S-sorry-" Eren choked out. Levi's movements were strangely mesmerizing. "I was just too mad and-"

"As if any of that matters," Mikasa scoffed, shaking him. She was right, as always. "That Levi kid, whoever he is, he's dangerous, Eren. Steer clear and we'll do it the hard way- wait, what's he doing?"

The  _he_  in question was Levi again. He had sneaked up behind Jen Jakki, who, with Eren and Mikasa's conversation, had broken out of her corner a little and was coming up to them. Only a few people remained in the house; most were outside, screaming and drinking under the moon. The shadows hid Levi quite well - but Eren couldn't help but notice a glint of silver in his hand.

A gun.

And everything came crashing upon him.

"He- Levi- came to  _kill..._ "

The whisper was incredulous but not completely unbelieving. Levi had seemed peculiar from the start. But Eren, living a relatively sheltered life for a criminal with the Jaegers, had forgotten at times that other people like him roamed to. And he  _definitely_  did not expect to see one here.

"He's here to kill Jen Jakki."

Mikasa finished the sentence for him, eyes narrowing. Suddenly, she burst forward with a low grunt in her throat. Eren followed suit. A second later, he found himself holding onto Levi's gun arm with a pincer-like grip.

Levi still looked unfazed, even with this. He merely gazed at Jen Jakki's unsuspecting back, and nudged at Eren as if to say,  _Get off. Let's finish this quickly._

"What are you  _doing?_ " Eren demanded the question for the up-tenth time that night.

With a quick, jerky shrug, Levi forced Eren's hand off him with ease. "I'm on a mission,  _Jaeger_. Aren't you on a similar one?"

A very brief, momentary hush fell over the three young gangsters.

It was broken by Mikasa asking, again, "Who are you?"

Levi did not answer in words. But he raised his free hand, curling back his pinky and fourth finger and pointing upwards with his second and third, stuck together.

The Raised Pistol.

The symbol of the Ackerman clan.

Then, with a fluid grace both wonderful and horrible to behold, Levi lifted his gun and pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey, another SNK criminal!au story! I just wanted to put my own twist on it. 
> 
> I think I'll have lots of fun.
> 
> ...in which Eren is a young and clumsy criminal, Levi's a born pro, Mikasa and Armin are smol beans that you will get really mad at, Squad Levi is bae, Hanji is amazing as usual and Erwin's a righteous police officer intent on tracking all these bad guys down.
> 
> With a little Shakespeare tied in!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just a college party...

Levi Ackerman stood amongst the chaos, eyes wandering, looking completely untouched by all the shouting, the running, the crazed murmurs and whispers.

He was used to it all by now. He had to be, as one of Shiganshina's most dangerous criminals. Deceptively young, especially with a rather childlike face, his specialty was quick but messy murders - a bullet from a gun, a stab from a knife. Countless charges were heaped on his head, so many that some of them were even false - but you know, when there was an unexplained murder from an anonymous crook, it had to be Levi Ackerman, the worst of them all, right?

Not that he actually  _was_  the worst of them all, by far. That title went to his uncle and his boss, Kenny Ackerman, very likely the most infamous serial killer of all time. No Jaeger ever came close to touching his boots - he was the reason why the Ackermans were so dangerous. But Kenny's time was ending now, and he mostly served as the behind-the-scenes gang leader behind Ackerman operations.

Levi had been trained early to kill efficiently and apathetically. Emotions were but fetters, after all; they served no purpose but to drag him down - so Kenny taught him, and if Kenny could kill a hundred in one sitting and evade capture, he ought to be trusted in such matters. The simple reason why Levi was so good at fighting and killing was because Kenny taught him. Ever since his mother had -  _left_  (he refused to say "died") - Kenny had taken him under his wing and reared him to be the perfect criminal.

However, this was a slightly different mission. Levi had set out with the simple purpose to kill Jen Jakki and establish free heroin trade between the Jakkis and the Ackermans. He had been warned that if the Jaegers made the kill first, the Jakkis might trade with them, but Levi had not been particularly worried over that fact until that idiot Xander introduced him to Eren Jaeger.

Things only got more complicated when he noticed who Eren was with. Mikasa Ackerman - no,  _Jaeger_  - he hadn't heard her name for years, but you could never evade your past, could you? Levi had only been ten when he'd tagged along with Kenny and the gang to Mikasa's house and watched them brutally murder her parents as revenge for not joining the gang. Before going, Levi had thought it would serve the traitors right; but then he saw Mikasa cry. He'd never seen anyone cry before. It was an odd sensation.

While going through the motions of being interested in a damn college party, Levi had dimly wondered if Mikasa remembered him. It certainly didn't seem like it, though from the suspicious glares he had been on the receiving end of, perhaps there was a little something ingrained in her subconsciousness.

He'd spent the other half of his time wondering how he felt about Eren Jaeger.

He was still thinking about that now, which was why his feet remained planted on the floor where he'd pulled out his gun and shot Jen Jakki. Mission accomplished - not in the way he would've wanted, perhaps (he, too, had been planning a poisoning) but it had to be done quickly before the Jaegers did it. He wasn't worried about himself; escape would be quite easy when the police arrived.

So he stood there, watching the scene before him.

A dozen people were calling 911 at the same time. Some were frantically contacting family to pick them up. The siren of an ambulance was wailing, louder and louder as it drew nearer to the house. Not that it would be of any use - Jen Jakki was absolutely, positively dead. A lucky victim; she'd died a painless death, with Levi expertly shooting her in the heart.

And, in the midst of all the screaming, the yells of "Murder!" and the hysterical sobbing, their rose a shriek of "I'll  _kill_  you!"

It was Mikasa. To be expected, to be expected; she was a Jaeger (or pretty close to one, at least) and maybe the fact that she'd watched her family get  _killed_  by Ackermans gave her a little extra fire. But what Levi  _didn't_  expect was for Eren to grab her, hold her back, wrench the knife from her hand with a sudden burst of unexpected skill.

"Calm down, Mika," he coaxed, his voice barely audible over all the turmoil. "Let's get out of here."

"I  _WON'T!_ "

"Eren is right," Levi chose this moment to interject. "No need to get even more gory right now. Save it for another day."

 _"I... hate... you!_ "

Levi let out a little sigh of exasperation. Why be hopelessly dramatic? All he wanted to do was to get out of the place without handcuffs on his wrists, hopefully make it home in time for an ultra-early breakfast - he just needed to see these Jaeger kids out safely, of course.

_Especially Eren._

Nah, that was just a voice.

Suddenly, Levi noticed the flashing red and blue lights of police cars on the wall opposite of the open door. Instinctively, he moved away from the corpse, making sure his gun was secured inside his jacket, out of sight.

He looked at the Jaeger kids. Eren was still struggling to restrain Mikasa, who was fighting off his grasp more and more. It wouldn't be too long before she broke free - and then Levi would have a problem on his hands. It wasn't that he was afraid to lose, should a fight ever break out, but the added mess wouldn't speak well of his role in the situation.

Stepping forward, he clamped his hand over Mikasa's knife arm, holding the blade over her head and out of reach of his flesh. Leaning in, he hissed, "I wanna get out of here alive and so do you,  _Mikasa Ackerman_ , so shut the fuck up and run, if you please."

In an instant, he was regretting he hadn't said anything earlier. The shadows of two policemen were darkening the door, blocking their only means of escape.

Levi dropped Mikasa's arm as though she was made of fire, scooting away. It was a good thing that the three of them stood in a shadowy corner, at a reasonable distance away from the body, which seemed to be the center of attention for now. Mikasa had sheathed her knife and plastered on a surprisingly good mask of horrified astonishment, with a mirroring one on Eren's face. Levi's face was half-hidden in shadow, but his eyes were not on Jen Jakki's corpse; rather, it was scanning the area for any means of quiet, effective escape.

Policemen were blocking the front as people left, holding back every single party-goer and searching them for immediate evidence. There was no way Levi could keep a gun under his jacket without them noticing when they pat him down. But all exits seemed to be blocked, and-

Before he could finish his train of thought, Mikasa broke away from where she was standing, grabbed Eren's hand, and began running. With a quick shout of "Follow me!" she whisked out the door, past the policemen, going so fast some turned to look for a breath of wind - without noticing that Eren had slipped her grasp and was stumbling along, a sudden light upon him.

"Oh, shit, shit, shit," Levi heard him mutter. Two policemen suddenly turned around and began walking towards him. He  _did_  look awfully guilty, standing there and blinking in the light.

 _Ah ha!_  Levi's eyes locked upon an open door leading down to the basement, where the police had evidently been searching. There was an open window near the top of the basement wall, where, with some wriggling, a small man could easily slip through. The police were occupied by Eren; it was the perfect chance.

And then - Levi began walking - walking towards  _Eren._

Before he knew what he was doing, he had thrown his arm around Eren's shoulder, no doubt producing a very comical effect - after all, Eren was several inches taller than him. Perhaps this would work in their favor, if these policemen had a sense of humor.

"Aah, Eren," Levi drawled, "there you are. Man, your dad is gonna  _kill_  you for not telling him you're here-"

Then he flicked his eyes upwards, feigning surprise at seeing policemen there. Kenny had taught him the perfect ways to throw policemen off guard in sticky situations, even though he himself preferred making a bang in his exploits. But if Levi wanted to get out hellhole - with Eren - he'd have to do a little pretending.

"What's up, cops?" he asked. "My cousin over here cause any trouble?"

"Nothing's been proven," said the largest policeman gruffly. "But this is a murder scene, kid. We were just about to search him."

Levi thanked his stars that none of the policemen had noticed him standing in the corner earlier. Sometimes, things boiled down to just plain  _luck_ , after all.

Focus. Right now, Operation Eren Protection was underway.

Questions of  _why_  he was doing it, why he cared about helping the enemy, why he felt an odd calling to keep this Jaeger kid safe - those could be saved for later.

"You think  _this_  little guy is capable of murder?" Levi rolled his eyes incredulously. "Please. He cries when he hurts a fly. I'd know; I've been visiting all summer and really, it grates on my nerves."

The cops did not seem to be amused. Levi's slack attitude only seemed to infuriate them more. "Move out of the way, kid," one pushed him out of the way. "Wait outside while we search your little cousin. If he's innocent, he'll be with you in a second."

This would never do. Levi didn't know what Eren might have hidden in the red and white he was wearing jacket, but no doubt there would be incriminating evidence somewhere. He had to stall these policemen, stop them from searching Eren, until something else caught their attention.

"Be gentle with him, then," Levi shrugged. "He's jumpy, too. A real pain to live with-"

Luck seemed to be on his side today. Two yells rang out simultaneously - one of "We caught him!" and another of "We're losing her!" The frenzy of the night was overwhelming, and there were not nearly enough policemen to reign it in. Quickly losing interest in Eren, the police dropped him, with a warning of "Don't move."

Yeah right. As if anyone listened to that.

As soon as he was sure no eyes were upon them, Levi dragged Eren down into the basement. It was eerily quiet - as if the noise and the chaos of the crime scene above was of another world. Everything seemed muffled, far away; cool night air blew in through the open window and chilled some of the sweat on Levi's skin.

"Thanks," Eren breathed, looking both embarrassed and relieved. "You're a good talker..."

"Don't mention it," Levi replied. It was hard to keep his mind on the task when it was screaming at him  _Why are you doing this? What does Eren Jaeger matter to you? Can't you just escape by yourself now?_

But he kept on doing it, kept on helping Eren; he pulled a crate under the window, and let Eren stand on it, and gave him a little boost to help him up, and pushed him out; and all the while it seemed as though his mind and his hands were completely detached; his mind was screaming reason while his hands were following his crazy heart. Feelings, emotions - those were swirled up into mud, something completely insensible - but then Levi realized that to  _have_ feelings in the first place was already something of a miracle for him.

"Get out of here, brat," he whispered.

"Thank...you... again?" Eren was panting, looking flushed from the excitement. Immediately, Levi pushed him away. The sooner the brat got out, the better, though Levi felt a sudden urge to hold him closer.

Nothing was going according to plan; this was not supposed to happen; and yet Levi  _couldn't_ leave Eren in the dust. He wanted Eren to run free... out, into the night air, to meet up with Mikasa and whatever other crazy friends he had. Perhaps he just wanted to lend a hand to a fellow criminal; after all, they were all one force against the police, right? But that didn't cover it - no it didn't nearly cover it. Nothing covered it. Nothing mattered. Before he even fully realized what was happening, himself, Levi had already seen Eren out the window and into an alleyway, watching him run away to who-knows-where. Only then did the full impact of everything hit him; it hit him like a bomb.

Oddly, it was the  _eyes_  that struck him the most. He had seen those eyes before... no.

It was a simple mission! Kill a woman, establish a trade. Nothing should have gone wrong, even with the Jaegers; and yet it went impossibly wrong and impossibly right. He hadn't killed a Jaeger on first sight like the legend said - and Levi had more than enough reason to hate the Jaegers - reasons that he tried to keep buried away and forgotten. No, he'd even  _helped_  a Jaeger... flat out helped him, for none of his own gain. And what's more, he'd felt  _emotion_... something else that he'd tried to keep hidden away, ever since-

No, he couldn't relive those memories just yet. They'd just have to stay in their corners and come out another day. He'd had enough craziness for one night, both inside and outside of his mind. Memories would only serve to make it worse... and all Levi wanted was some  _clarity_ , for fuck's sake.

As he slowly wove his way through the back streets, heading for the place he called home, he let his mind wrestle everything out, muttering nonsense as he did so and occasionally letting out a short laugh. All these feelings were so foreign to him... he didn't know whether to love them or hate them. Well, hadn't tonight been a show!

The last thing he remembered before collapsing on his bed was his mind suddenly clearing - to reveal a pair of swirling blue-green eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand:  
> therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away."  
>  -Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

"Yes, he  _saved_  me, Mikasa."

A little groan trailed on the edges of Eren's words. He was tired... way too tired... and in no mood for Mikasa's mothering and ranting. First the apologies - "I'm so sorry I left you behind, I didn't notice, you know?" - and then the questions - "How did you get out of there? Did you have any trouble with the police?" - and finally the incredulous - "No way. Levi Ackerman did  _not_  help you."

"But he did." Eren couldn't deny that fact himself. It was all purposefully done - Levi didn't have to walk over, put on that weird pose of being Eren's  _cousin_  (that was awkward) and then drag him out through the basement window. Somehow, Eren was important enough to rescue? Everything was so confusing.

Not to mention, he did it all with an ease that seemed almost insulting. For one, he exchanged words with the police pretty much perfectly, even though Eren got the distinct feeling that disguises and trickery were not exactly his cup of tea. His speed and agility were incredible, and so was his strength - Eren did  _not_  imagine someone so short and so small as being able to casually force him out the window.

And everything he did was  _smooth_. He had a quality akin to grace as he ran, as he jumped, even as he did the most mundane things. To Eren, Levi felt like some sort of strange cream - slipping in and out of his fingers without breaking a sweat.

Why was he suddenly so into this random Ackerman? For the life of him, Eren couldn't figure it out. Of course, Levi had saved him from certain arrest; but it went beyond that, somehow.

He put it out of his mind as he strolled through the Underground with Mikasa and his other friend Armin Arlert, trying his damnest not to yawn for fear he'd split his face in two. None of his lounging around over the weekend seemed to do anything to lessen his exhaustion. Mikasa didn't seem to have a share in it, but she was a born fighter, always alert. As for Eren, he usually crashed a little after missions.

Mikasa was busy telling Armin about the Jen Jakki mission, asking him his opinions. Eren decided to put in an ear. Armin may be a blond coconut (Jean Kirstein's words) but as coconut went, he was a pretty smart one.

"And Eren apparently thinks an Ackerman helped him! Well, we know just how  _helpful_  the Ackermans are, don't we, Armin?"

"I'm telling you," Eren broke in, "Levi did help me. No thanks to  _you_ , Mika," he added somewhat spitefully, worn out by all Mikasa's paranoia.

Mikasa socked him on the arm. "First name basis already, huh?"

Eren crimsoned. "No- not really-"

"The name Levi sounds familiar," Mikasa continued. "Where have I heard it before?"

"He's one of the most dangerous Ackerman killers," Armin clarified. "I remember now. He's quite young, really, but already notoriously famous for his fighting and killing skills - wasn't he the one who murdered the mayor last year? Trained by the gang leader Kenny Ackerman, no less."

Mikasa threw Eren a pointed look, which he tried his best to ignore. "He's dangerous, Eren. Explosive. I doubt he saved you out of the goodness of his heart - if he  _has_  a heart in the first place. The Ackermans don't have hearts."

Shrugging, Eren quickened his pace, his mind still whirling.  _Aren't Mikasa and Armin making a rather big deal of it?_  he thought.  _Just because Levi's an Ackerman..._

And then,  _You're making a pretty big deal out of Levi too, Jaeger, albeit in a different way. Why are you defending him so fiercely?_

"Mikasa's right," he heard Armin call from behind him, with the blond typically being a slow, thoughtful walker. "No Ackerman can be trusted, Eren, not even one that, to quote your words, ' _saves_  you'. Levi is especially dangerous, at that. Be on your guard; hopefully you won't even have to see him again."

Armin's words hit Eren with some sort of potent magic. He wanted to see Levi again. He  _had_  to. The sudden desire felt like flame, burning at his mind. Of course he needed to thank Levi for whisking him out of the hands of the police... nothing more than that...

But how could it be managed? Venturing into Ackerman territory was a definite no. He'd be dead within ten seconds stepping on their ground, shot down by one of the unknown and unseen sharpshooter the Ackermans were famous for. With a jolt, Eren realized that Levi was the first Ackerman he'd actually encountered, and he doubted that Levi's motivations represented those of his partners-in-crime. If any of those partners were a  _fraction_  of as good as Levi was, Eren would be vulture food.

Perhaps he could get in more sneakily... or induce Levi to come out... ideas and plans flashed through Eren's mind, all of them bad. He wished he had Armin's brainpower, or Mikasa's skill; for he knew that neither of them would be too keen on his idea of finding Levi Ackerman.

Lost in his own thoughts, Eren almost didn't notice it when Jean Kirstein appeared out of a nearby alleyway and called for them, loud-voiced and obstinate as always. "Jaeger? Scarf-girl? Coconut? Shit's going down!"

"Hey, Horse-face," Eren yelled back, breaking the fog that was his thoughts and running towards Jean, who, as it could be seen from his frantic hand-movements, had news to tell. "What's up now?"

"I told you, Jaeger, shit's going  _down_ , not up." Jean's voice held its note of irritation as usual, but by now Eren knew enough about him to disregard it. "Grisha wants you guys for the raid."

"What raid?"

"You haven't heard of the raid yet, Jaeger?" Jean snorted. "Asshole."

Eren felt Mikasa tense a little beside him. He put out a hand to sooth her, amused by her protectiveness, and turned back to Jean.

"I've been out of it for a whole weekend," said Eren, truthfully. "Slept twenty hours yesterday at least."

"And they say you're one of the best among us younger guys," Jean muttered. "You're a sloth after every mission."

"Truth!" Armin interjected, laughing. "Although I can't say I'm much better..."

"Coconut, you didn't even make top ten, for all your smarts. C'mon, let's stop our shit-chatting and get a move on."

Jean lead the way through the dark, grimy streets of the Underground, in a shortcut to Zeke's hideout. As usual, Eren passed by homeless and poor, those not associated with felony and lawbreaking like him - but not quite free of it either. It was impossible to be free of it here, just as it was impossible clean the streets of dust and filth. The Underground was conveniently tucked into the farthest corner of Shiganshina, a niche for the social outcasts, the unwanted and the unknown. Many of the Jaegers and the Ackermans lived here, though their reaches spread to the farthest corners of Shiganshina.

As though an invisible line had been drawn some generations before, the Jaegers had their 'territory' and the Ackermans had theirs. Full-scale wars were often fought over the borders. More territory meant more potential for victims, drug trading, power, the works. The entire struggle, when Eren looked at it dispassionately, was stupid; really, the root of the problem lay in old grudges instead of potential for crime.

"Yeah, we're taking back that strip of land near the edge that the Ackermans took last year," Jean was saying. "I'm hoping we don't run into the pros - I heard last time Grisha tried this, the squad got their asses kicked."

Eren offered a wry smile, curling his fingers around his knife impulsively. "Have you faced Ackermans before, Horse-face?"

"First time, but it can't be  _that_  hard, can it?"

Thinking back to Levi's superhuman strength and speed, Eren could only say, "I guess it depends. Watch your back - they're quiet."

"Heard that a million times already," Jean scoffed, but he bit his lip all the same. "Lighten up, Jaeger, it's an honor. Grisha chose us 'cause we're good. Now,  _don't_  fall asleep on us-"

They reached Jaeger headquarters just as Jean spoke. It was a small runt of a building, fully undeserving of the title "headquarters" - which is why it was chosen to be so. The people sitting inside certainly did not seem like leaders of a dangerous gang, either. They were a rag-tag bunch, taking whiffs of their cigarettes in between downing alcohol and exchanging surprisingly intelligent conversation.

The leader of the clan, Grisha Jaeger, was none other than Eren's father. He was a an intelligent but mysterious scientist and doctor, whose expression seemed permanently fused into one of dead seriousness towards life. A brilliant strategist, Eren never saw him raise a knife, shoot a gun, smoke a cigarette, take a sip of wine, touch a drug, or lay even the slightest touch of harm on a man; but there was something intimidating about him nonetheless.

As he always did when he 'reported' to his father, Eren straightened, made himself look businesslike instead of like a son. He immediately made the Jaeger salute - right fist on his chest, left on the small of his back - calling out, "You called, sir!"

Grisha rose slowly. "I am sending out a small squad to retake Street Maria... and the dignity we lost when the Ackermans took it. It has a fine black market for heroin, which would make up for the Jakki customers we lost-" here Eren winced, remembering how Levi had managed to kill Jen Jakki before he and Mikasa could. "-and from what I have managed to gather, cocaine trade flourishes there as well. The Ackermans don't care about the area as much as they should; it is doubtful that they will send their best men to protect it. Make it a quick brawl, and if the situation doesn't look hopeful, retreat immediately. We do not want casualties."

Eren quickly dispelled his sleepiness, willing himself to look older as his squadmates came out around him. So his father still trusted him, even after a failed mission! He wouldn't fail this one - he couldn't. Slowly, he kindled the fire of hatred inside, fanning it into a bonfire of murder and destruction.

He hated the Ackermans. He would always hate them.

He was  _born_  to hate them.

***

The small group was scruffy and unkempt, old veterans mixing with young, inexperienced 'kids'. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Jean walked boldly in front, their faces alight with semi-excitement and anticipation, eager to fight the infamous Ackermans. The older ones walked in the back, talking quietly, and shaking their heads at their younger colleagues who were 'getting too cocky'. They would have been quite a sight to see anywhere else in Shiganshina - dark, dusty people, with torn clothes and scarred old wounds, guns on their belts and knives in their jackets, and murderous glints in their eyes - but in the Underground, it was quite a normal sight.

"I won't take a  _single_  shit from the Ackermans," Jean was declaring loudly, striding ahead. "Their garbage isn't worth taking."

"Who'd want their garbage?" Eren scoffed, riding on the high that hate gave him. It felt like he'd injected himself with some sort of potent hate; the sensation was almost pleasurable. "We're not garbagemen, if we  _do_  live in the Underground."

"We fight!" shouted Mikasa. "I'll kill every last one of them."

"Any one of the Ackermans can make me give a fight, so 'long as I see them," said Eren confidently. He liked feeling confident - an alien feeling. "I'd never run; I want to see their blood flow too badly."

_Almost everyone' s blood. But it would be horrible if-_

Godammit! Eren yelled at his mind. Stop making me feel weird!

From behind them, their older squadmates called out to them. "Don't be too hasty, young'uns," said one with a deep, husky voice. "Focus on staying out of trouble," squeaked a woman. But the 'young'uns' didn't seem to give a single sign that they cared.

Jean chuckled. "I bet they're scared," he whispered. "Scared of the freakin' kids we'll be going against."

"You talk hasty," warned Thomas, the leader of the squad, whilst throwing Jean a backwards glance. "The Ackermans are no joke, believe me. You say you won't run? You won't have time to - they sneak up behind you and kill you before you can even react."

"Not with Armin around," Eren smiled. "He's hypersensitive."

"No Ackerman dog can kill me without my consent," Mikasa's eyes were burning with a thirst for revenge, revenge on the death of her parents, revenge on failed missions of the past.

As the group made its way through the streets, getting closer and closer to their destination, everyone began to feel more and more apprehensive, their agitation clearly visible by the way they were curling their fingers around the triggers of their guns, fingering their knives nervously and twitching their eyes as though a fly had flown into them. And Eren, perhaps, felt the most anxious out of them all.

He would be entering the Ackerman territory.

He could  _see Levi again- thank him for rescuing me-_

 _Fucking hell!_  he cursed silently. He hated whatever part of his brain that was responsible for such thoughts. If only it would quiet down and let him focus on his mission! After all, what were the chances that Levi actually lived along Street Maria, and if he didn't Eren couldn't take the risk of running deeper into the domains of the Ackermans.

"You're  _vibrating_ , Eren," Mikasa touched him gently. "Stop getting so nervous."

Eren tried for a smile and failed. "Yeah, Mika, I know... but... but I'm just a little bit... you know..."

"Armin's got a good plan to keep the three of us alive," Mikasa said absently. "I wouldn't worry." She twisted her small dagger over and over in her hands, staring straight ahead.

Eren didn't answer. He was afraid to betray his thoughts by any single word. According to... well, pretty much anyone... he wore his heart on his sleeve, his face betraying every emotion he felt.

"We're nearing Street Maria, kids," Thomas shouted. "Grisha wants to make it an out-and-out fight... by which he means no 'formation' shit... and it looks like we won't have too much tr-"

That was one word to be left unfinished forever.

Without a sound, Thomas was tackled to a ground. Half a second later, a knife was sticking through his chest.

"Y'all too close," snarled the assaulter, an aggravatingly pretty dark-haired girl with her face half-hidden by a mask. "I'd tell you to back off - but I think we'll kill you instead,  _Jaegers_."

And the Ackermans closed in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a little confusion about the chapters... sorry if your comments were deleted by accident. I'm still trying to figure this site out, so bear with me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They thought they were fighting for a street...  
> but it was really just a servant's brawl.

What it really started with was a shout of "I'll fucking kill you!"

Nobody knew who shouted it. Nobody knew from which side it actually came from.

But somehow, it turned the key to the lock holding everyone's sanity, and all hell broke loose.

Eren charged with a feral scream in his throat, possessed by an unaccountable anger at everything. He had no gun, only a small knife and his fists and bites and kicks. Who cared about that?

He launched himself towards Thomas' attacker, growling. But she was a smart one, that girl, and dodged easily, laughing. That only served to enrage Eren further. He jumped at her, bringing her down to the ground, punching and kicking with every ounce of strength he had.

Strategy. What was strategy?

Apparently his opponent had some idea, for she threw him off and sent him rolling into the wall.

 _"STOP LAUGHING!"_  he shrieked, hardly aware of anything but anger. Perhaps he was the noisiest of the fighters there - from his throat came out howls, screeches, and inhuman snarls.  _"SHUT UP!"_

Other Ackermans bore down on him, but he hardly saw them through his fury, relying on only his instincts to choke, to throw, to bite.

He felt their hands, felt their blades; he didn't feel a thing. He felt himself breaking bones, tearing through flesh, bruising arms and jaws.

It enlivened him. For every strike, he needed a thousand more. Vulgarities and curses sprung from his mouth freely, adding to the confusion. "Shitty bastard - fuck! Off, you bitch!"

Beside him, he could hear Mikasa's small dagger shredding through flesh as she dodged, swiped, and twisted. She was an excellent fighter - perhaps the best they had, even among the older men - attacking like a tiger, with ferocity and skill. Jean was also fighting hard, albeit a little more subdued, jumping around like a monkey as was his unique style. Armin, too, was holding up surprisingly well, considering this was a physical challenge for him, but Eren could start to see the strain in his muscles, the perspiration flowing down his arms in rivers.

He shut it out. He shut all of it out.

He screamed and lunged forward again.

 

Blood. Blood was everywhere.

It soon became hard to tell who's blood was who's, whether the puddle of red was flowing from an Ackerman or a Jaeger, who was actually bleeding and who merely had blood smeared on their skin which looked just as bad.

Eren was only dimly aware of clashing blades, flesh on flesh, lots of yelling, and a sharp pain in his shoulder.

This is what it came down to, after all. Gone was the objective of retaking Street Maria; it was but a plain old street brawl, spurred by pure,  _irrational_  hatred. Yes, Eren hated the Ackermans... the hate burned inside him... he  _relished_  the hate, let it lick at his emotions, drive every lunge and stab towards the enemy.

But it still wasn't enough.

Everyone had seriously underestimated the Ackermans. Many of them were not much older than Eren himself, but though they could not be said to be as good as Mikasa it was clear they were far better trained. Some of them were weaponless, and yet they still managed to floor grown men. One girl had an old rifle and put bullets into two.

None seemed to be truly dead except for the unfortunate Thomas, but soon nearly everyone was clutching some sort of wound. Eren had fought like a tiger for as long as he could, but then he found he could no longer ignore the gash in his right shoulder. It was incapacitating his arm, rendering it completely useless, bogging him down. He stumbled away from the fighting, gasping in pain.

"We have to retreat," observed Jean grimly and uselessly. "What the actual fuck."

"To hell with objectives," hissed another man beside him, who was trying to nurse a bullet hole in his leg. "Nobody even told us  _how_  exactly we were going to 'retake' a fucking street."

Eren hated to see his comrades just giving up like that - especially Jean, who had been so fired up to fight beforehand. But the discontenting truth ran through their words and he couldn't find a single thing to say back. It wasn't like he could fight anyways.

The Jaegers weren't the only ones who'd taken a blow. Even the Ackermans seemed to be a little worn down. So they'd fought... who'd won? Eren desperately wanted to get up, to fight more, to  _win_ , but every time he tried he jarred his shoulder and felt like screaming.

Then suddenly, at the worst possible time, the old thought ran through his head again.

_Levi!_

He found that, in his subconsciousness, he'd come partly so that he could see Levi. It was more than a hope. He  _needed_  to see him, thank him, and just... talk to him. The party hadn't been enough.

Oddly, he didn't feel flames of hatred and revenge licking at him whenever he thought of Levi. In fact, he didn't even know what he felt about him. He only knew what he  _didn't_  feel about him, and hatred was one of those things. Neither was cool indifference.

Levi was important... he knew that.

"I'll be back!" he yelled, and without even thinking he ran off, streets and faces blurring as he flew as fast as his feet could carry him. He had no plan, no clue where Levi even was, and it must have been by a miracle that he wasn't shot at first sight, but it wasn't. He felt like he was running too fast to be shot.

Tearing through the streets at breakneck speed, he felt alive, better than he'd ever been in his life, even with a faulty shoulder. He felt pain of course - searing pain, worsening with every step - but none of it mattered next to running, running, running.

His head pounded, pushing him faster, giving his feet rockets. Something was leading him, pulling him; he only had to follow it, and that he was more than willing to do.

It felt like a million miles, when in reality it was only a couple streets, and he suddenly found himself standing underneath a decrepit iron balcony, one like any other on the dusty, run-down houses.

With a key difference, of course.

"Oi, brat," came the drawling voice. "What the hell?"

"I'm w-with the raid," Eren gasped breathlessly, suddenly feeling tired the way he should be. His feet had brought him to his destination and all he wanted to do was collapse.

"Then raid like you're supposed to," Levi leaned over the balcony, his expression unreadable. "So you just ran over here for no reason? I'd make a funny comment, but I don't have any, so I'll just ask the question - what brought you here?"

Eren tried to recover his wits, fishing around in his reeling brain. Somehow, he suddenly forgot  _why_  he was actually there.

"I - I came to thank you for saving me at the party-"

Levi's face twisted into something in between a smile and a grimace. "Classic idiot's choice. You already thanked me. And why do I even need thanks? It's just a formality."

"No... really, if the police had searched..."

"Brush it off," Levi cut in. "And start looking at that shoulder of yours, if you please. The smell of blood's gonna make both of us sick."

Eren winced a little, the pain becoming unbearable. "It's only a flesh wound," he muttered.

"Of course it is, but it's a problem if you don't do something about it. How'd you run all the way over here with that thing?"

"I'll be fine." Eren gritted his teeth, not wanting to show weakness in front of Levi. He had an idea that Levi had been through worse pain and not made as much of a fuss.

"You  _won't_  be fine. Wait there." Levi disappeared into the house, and opened the door moments later. "C'mon in. Don't stand out there; it's dangerous."

Despite the fire that was his right arm, Eren couldn't help gasping when he entered.

The interior of the dirty, battered house was spotlessly clean.

Nothing in it could be considered luxurious, or even any sort of comfortable, but somehow Levi managed to make alley scraps look more respectable than a millionaire's furniture. Everything that could be scrubbed or scoured was scrubbed and scoured to perfection; Levi had obviously taken pains with the floor. The old chairs and table were quite literally  _shining._

"Wow," Eren attempted to joke. "Housewife, much?"

"Just because I live in a dump, brat, doesn't mean I have to act like trash," Levi retorted.

"So this is your house, huh?" Eren sat down on the chair Levi pointed to, watching as the short man opened the cupboard and began pulling out bandages and antiseptic.

"Nah, it's Hanji's," Levi answered. "This is only my temporary habitat. I keep it clean for her, though, because I die whenever she throws her clothes around or spills food.

"I believe you," Eren laughed. So Levi was a neat-freak. What else was new?

Levi sat down next to him with his medical supplies, albeit

"This'll probably sting a lot, brat, so brace yourself," Levi warned as he poured a little antiseptic onto the cloth.

Eren was no stranger to pain, but it was all he could do to keep from screaming when Levi pressed the cloth to his arm. Levi didn't give him any sign before it came, and Eren felt somewhat grateful that at least he didn't make him dread.

It was quick, too. Before Eren could register the change and take his mind off the pain, Levi had already started bandaging. He was remarkably quick and clean about it, something he probably learned living his more dangerous thug life. The pain throbbed in Eren's head, but it was all over in a few minutes.

"Sorry 'bout that," Levi shrugged. "I didn't want you to get infection." He stood up and moved away. "Want any tea, brat?"

Suddenly, Eren realized that this whole situation was surreal, unnatural, taboo. He was sitting in the house of an Ackerman - one of the most dangerous Ackermans - calmly talking, watching as he brewed black tea and sniffing the delicate, haunting aroma. His wounds had been  _treated_  by an Ackerman, and Levi genuinely seemed to care that he didn't get infection. Questions spun around and around in his mind, and he sat there, a mess of confused, conflicting emotions until Levi jerked him back into reality.

"Spacing out again?" he called.

"Uh, yeah," Eren answered.

"Well, it's to be expected." Levi plunked down the teacups, and Eren noticed how he didn't spill a drop on the spotless table. "Here, brat. Warm up a little and get out of here before Hanji comes home."

"Is she... dangerous?"

Levi didn't smile, but he seemed the closest to it that Eren had seem him by far. "Yeah. You can say that. Or maybe you can say she's a little cuckoo, which is just as bad."

"I'm guessing she's a big Jaeger-hater?"

"Not exactly," said Levi, "in fact, she's probably cares the least about that than any of us here. But she has a thing about tests. And science. And other maniacal shit. And yeah, she kinda hates Jaegers too."

"So I don't wanna get caught with her," Eren finished, sipping his tea. It was soothing, like an aesthetic.  _Levi could open a tea shop,_  Eren thought.

"Well, if you were an Ackerman, she'd dote you like crazy," Levi picked up his teacup, apparently unaware of its blistering heat as he grabbed it by the top edges - a strange way of holding a teacup. "But she's temperamental. A very interesting roommate."

"Do you like her?" Eren blurted out before thinking.

Levi eyed him, grey eyes flickering in the dim light. "That's an odd question to ask, brat."

"I mean-" Eren covered up his mistake, flustered. "Is she fun?"

"Lots of fun," Levi chuckled humorlessly. "She almost poisoned me once, in one of her highs. You can say she's... unpredictable, but that's just the least of it."

Eren felt a warmth around him and Levi as they sat together, drinking tea and talking about trivial matters. He couldn't imagine why, but somehow he felt  _safe_. Absolutely safe. The distant gunshots made a nice backing track to their scene.

The street fight, the raid, even Thomas all faded away. When he was a young child, Eren had wondered what it would be like talking to an Ackerman. Now he finally knew, and it wasn't as bad as he'd thought. Ackermans were people too, even though they seemed like icy, cold-blooded monsters on the outside.

Perhaps Levi and Hanji... somehow Eren found himself wanting to meet Hanji... were but exceptions to the rule, but for the first time, Eren questioned his anger.

And he hated himself for doing that.

"It's getting late, brat," Levi spoke up, even though only they'd only sat together for twenty minutes. "Go rejoin your group. And if you're smart, you'll never come here again."

"I'm not smart," Eren smiled, "and I don't make promises."

"Tch." 

"Why do you say that so often?"

"I say that when I see stupidity, and believe me, I see a lot of it. Now run before your group mistakes you for dead and abandons you."

"Well, good-"

"Shut up with the fucking formalities and kick yourself out before I kick you." Levi's eyes looked almost bored and his words held his usual "I-don't-give-a-fuck" attitude, but somehow Eren didn't quite buy it.

"You can't stop me."

"Eren, get out."

"Fine! Good-bye! There, I said i-"

"EREN!"


End file.
